CBI books former Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki, brother

New Delhi: The CBI has booked former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki in a corruption case, for awarding a contract worth over Rs 3.2 crore to his brother Nabam Tagam in exchange for undue benefits.

The High Court of Guwahati had in 2017 ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to register preliminary enquiries into allegations that Tuki had awarded up to 11 government contracts to his family, while he was the Minister of Public Works Department and Urban Development in the state.

The FIR against Tuki was converted from a preliminary enquiry into contracts worth over Rs 3.2 crore awarded to Tagam, pertaining to building parking places in Nirjulee and Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh.

The probe agency has alleged that Tuki, as Minister for Consumer Affairs and Civil Supplies in the Arunachal Pradesh government in 2003, had opened a fictitious account in the United Commercial Bank to siphon-off up to Rs 30 lakh worth "ill-gotten, in collusion with his brother Nabam Tagam".

The CBI has also booked Shorab Ali Hazarika, then Chief Manager of an Itanagar branch of the UCB, and NN Osik, then Director of Civil Supplies in the Arunachal Pradesh government.

According to the FIR, Osik had opened a savings account with the Itanagar branch of UCB in October 2002 by depositing Rs 200.

Preliminary investigation has allegedly revealed that up to Rs 2.89 crore had been credited to the account in less than two years since the account was opened.

Moreover, the CBI has alleged that Osik paid Rs 30 lakh to Tuki through a cheque dated February 18, 2003. Tuki, then allegedly opened a savings account with the same branch of UCB the next day itself

and deposited the cheque amount, which the agency claims was withdrawn on subsequent dates.

The central probe agency has further alleged that the cheque was issued in favour of Nabam Tuki but then changed to "yourself" by Hazarika.

In fact, the agency claims that Tuki had opened the account by signing for it as Nabam T. and using a photograph of his brother Tagam.

The CBI had last month registered a case against Tuki other brother Nabam Hari and his wife Nabam Mary, based on the same High Court

order, in connection with PWD contracts that were

awarded to Mary's company in 2005, when Tuki was the PWD Minister.

While Tuki was not

named in the earlier FIR, the CBI had accused Hari, Mary and two other PWD

officials in the case, alleging that contracts to construct residential buildings for Kendriya Vidyalaya in Umroi Cantonment of Shillong were awarded to Mary's

company without following the appropriate procedures.

The CBI had alleged that there are no records available

to show the reasons as to why the works were awarded to Mary's firm without inviting a tender.

Tuki, a Congress leader, was Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh from 2011-2016.